Sankranti Travel Rush Fills Buses And Trains Early
- Ticket demand for Sankranti rises as trains reach regret status
- Bus bookings, flight fares and waiting lists increase across routes
Hyderabad: Sankranti is one of the most important festivals for Telugu people, especially in Andhra Pradesh. Although seven weeks remain for the festival, travel demand has already surged. People who work in distant places have booked their tickets well in advance.
As a result, reservations in several trains are full, and the waiting list has crossed five rounds in many cases. In major trains such as Godavari, Garibrath, East Coast, Konark, Mahabubnagar-Visakhapatnam, Charminar, Simhapuri, Gautami, Sabari, Narayanadri and Padmavati Express, the limit has crossed and the status has reached “regret”.
Meanwhile, bus reservations are also full for important cities. Flight ticket prices have increased sharply. Sankranti falls on January 14, with Bhogi on January 13 and Kanuma on January 15.
Therefore, from January 9 to 13, there will be heavy demand for train and bus travel. Most travellers plan to start their journeys on Friday and Saturday. Reservations in long distance trains have been sold out from January 9 onward. From January 10 to 13, bus demand is high, especially towards Andhra.
Trains from Hyderabad to Vijayawada, Narasapuram, Visakhapatnam, Guntur, Ongole, Rajahmundry, Kakinada and Nellore have crossed the waiting list and reached regret status from January 9 to 13. Regret status is also seen for Mahabubabad and Khammam routes in Vande Bharat, East Coast, Charminar, Garibrath and Godavari Express.
The Sabari Express from Hyderabad to Tirupati and Chittoor shows regret on January 10 and 11, while Venkatadri has regret on January 10 and 12. APSRTC buses from Hyderabad to Andhra Pradesh are fully booked.
People usually travel to their hometowns for Sankranti. However, even after waiting lists crossed five or six rows, the Railways department has not yet announced special trains.
APSRTC also has not released special buses online. Only a few seats remain in TGS RTC buses. Private operators are increasing fares sharply to meet the demand. Many are preparing to charge double the usual rates.
Air travel demand is also high on January 10 and 11. Ticket prices have increased by 50 to 100 percent. Hyderabad to Rajamahendravaram flight fares, usually between Rs.4,600 and Rs.4,900, have risen to Rs.10,529 on January 10, Rs.8,695 on January 11 and Rs.7,075 on January 9.
Hyderabad to Visakhapatnam fares, usually around Rs.4,144, have increased to Rs.7,366 on January 10 and Rs.6,443 on January 11. Passengers are worried as there is no information yet on whether airlines will operate additional flights.
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